The Countdown Begins

A rough estimate of, oh, I dont know, a BILLION things cross my mind when I think about the fact that I will be spending Fall Semester in Rome.

Needless to say, excitement is the first. (and no I'm not going to go through all billion...I have a plane to catch in August) I have wanted to travel to Italy my entire life, and finally I have this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of me. I'll have the chance to get in touch with my Italian heritage, hopefully meet some relatives and kick it with la mia famiglia in Italy.
There's the language part. All those months of practicing Italian out loud in our apartments' living room, overexaggerating an Italian accent for dramatic effect, and I'm sure all the while sounding like a halfway-lunatic, will finally pay off.
Not to mention: mouthwateringly delicious food, sinfully good cappucchinos, breathtaking scenery, the changing of seasons in Italy, snazzy new music finds, and the overall enchanting culture of Italy. (plus those dashingly charming men I've been warned about over and over again...no worries folks, I may wear my heart on my sleeve, but I've got quite the head on my shoulders, too ;) )

I have to admit, I'm also somewhat nervous to be embarking on an adventure this big. It makes me start thinking about how much I'm going to miss everything, and more everyONE here. (you all better become SKYPE experts, pronto...grazie in advance!!) I've traveled great distances before: Washington DC in below freezing temperatures for President Obama's inauguration


Fiji Islands where I kayaked in waters that I later discovered had been the site of a shark attack



even West Africa where I rode on donkey carts and slept on a straw mat and helped build the foundation of a schoolhouse.

But I've never traveled on my own this far, for this extended amount of time.
I am pretty attached to my beautiful little lifestyle in Davis: the Coho, the quad, midnight snacks and chitchat seshs at our kitchen table where we compare boy preferences to bread (Shawna and her wonderbread, Robyn and her cornbread, Me and my whole wheat, Rebecca and her multigrain), riding our bikes here and there, making runs to Coldstone Creamery to get us through our procrastination-ridden Sundays, jamming out to "Just Dance" "Whatever you Like" and "HotNCold" on our fabulous CashewCouch, various parties we frolick to and from, Communications and Soc Classes, exchanging recaps of the weekend at the Silo, even UNITRANS.


At The Bistro, Downtown Davis, on Rebecca's 19th Birthday

Recent weekend in February

Future Homemakers?
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Being that far away from my family won't be easy either. I take for granted how easy it is to hit the 80 and be back in San Francisco and see my parents and little sister (rephrase: younger sister...she's about to be 17 ooooohmyyygoshhh...and she's WAY taller than me) and spend some quality time with them.




me and the sis <3

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But it is these kinds of opportunities, the ones that require taking a deep breath, a leap of faith, and an armful of over-stuffed luggage, that are essential explore. Shawna and Rebecca will be studying abroad at the same time as me; Shawna in Ankara, Turkey and Rebecca in Mexico City (be sure to check out the links to their blogs on the side of my page!!) The unfamiliar positions we may find ourselves in, the pangs of homesickness we may have to endure, or the language barriers that may be an obstacle at first will make our experience that much more fulfilling, worthwhile, and exhilirating. It is those experiences, the challenging along with the phenomenal, that will enhance our lives and understanding of the world outside the U.S.
We are going to come back with some RIDICULOUSLY good stories, so you all better get ready!! The craziest, slightly daunting, but nonetheless BEST part about it all is that although we may be able to anticipate what our experiences will be like, we really have no idea. I cannot wait to share with all of you, months from now, what it does indeed turn out to be!!